A light-emitting semiconductor device utilizing a blue LED (strictly speaking, a blue LED chip) having a main emission peak in the blue wavelength range from 400 nm to 530 nm, both inclusive, and a luminescent layer containing an inorganic phosphor (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “phosphor”) that absorbs blue light emitted by the blue LED and produces a fluorescence having an emission peak within a visible wavelength range from green to yellow (in the range of about 530 nm to about 580 nm) in combination is known to date. Light emitted from an LED that excites a phosphor is herein referred to as “excitation light”. The spectrum of the light is herein referred to as an “excitation spectrum”. The intensity peak thereof is herein referred to as an “excitation light peak”.
Such a light-emitting semiconductor device is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2927279, Japanese Laid-Open Publication Nos. 10-163535, 2000-208822 and 2000-244021, for example.
In Japanese Patent No. 2927279, a light-emitting semiconductor device utilizing a blue LED using a gallium nitride-based compound semiconductor as a light-emitting layer and having an emission peak in the wavelength range from 400 nm to 530 nm, both inclusive, and an (RE1-xSmx)3(AlyGa1-y)5O12:Ce phosphor (where 0≦x<1, 0≦y≦1 and RE is at least one rare-earth element selected from among Y and Gd) (hereinafter, referred to as a “YAG-based phosphor”) in combination.
Considering the fact that the YAG-based phosphor produces an emission highly efficiently at a peak around 580 nm (yellow light) under blue light emitted by the blue LED (excitation light), it is described in the patent that the light-emitting semiconductor device is implemented as a white-light-emitting semiconductor device which emits white light by adding the colors of the blue light emitted by the blue LED and of the light emitted by the YAG-based phosphor together.
In Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 10-163535, disclosed is a white-light-emitting semiconductor device utilizing a blue or violet LED and one or more types of phosphors each absorbing light emitted by the LED to produce emission in a visible range in combination. As a phosphor, blue, green, yellow, orange and red phosphors containing (Zn, Cd)S as a phosphor base and a (Y, Gd)3(Al, Ga)5O12:Ce, Eu phosphor are disclosed. The (Y, Gd)3(Al, Ga)5O12:Ce, Eu phosphor is considered a YAG-based phosphor from a scientific standpoint.
In addition, in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 10-163535, also disclosed is a white-light-emitting semiconductor device producing an emission by adding the color of lights from the blue LED to the color of the YAG-based phosphor in which an emission chromatically point (x, y) of the emission is in the range 0.21≦x≦0.48 and 0.19≦y≦0.45 in a CIE chromaticity diagram.
Further, in Japanese Laid-Open Publications Nos. 2000-208822 and 2000-244021, white-light-emitting semiconductor devices utilizing blue LEDs and YAG-based phosphors in combination are disclosed. In Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-244021, disclosed is a light-emitting semiconductor device utilizing a strontium sulfide red phosphor activated by europium (SrS:Eu), in addition to a YAG-based phosphor, so as to compensate for a shortage of luminous flux of white light in a red-wavelength range emitted by the white-light-emitting semiconductor device.
It is known that such a known YAG-based phosphor has a main emission peak wavelength that varies in the range of about 530 nm to about 590 nm depending on the composition, especially the amount of Gd (gadolinium) atoms substituting Y (yttrium) atoms constituting the YAG-based phosphor, the amount of addition of Ce3+ to be a luminescent center, or an ambient temperature. It is also known that the emission peak wavelength shifts to longer wavelengths as the substitution amount of Gd, the amount of addition of Ce3+ to be a luminescent center or the ambient temperature increases. (see, for example, “Phosphor Handbook”: Ohmsha, Ltd. or a literature: R. Mach et and G. O. Mueller: Proceedings of SPIE Vol. 3938 (2000) pp. 30-41). It should be noted that a Gd atom is heavier than an Y atom, and therefore the absolute specific gravity of the YAG-based phosphor increases as the substitution amount of Gd atoms increases.
It is known that the absolute specific gravity of a Y3Al5O12:Ce3+ phosphor containing no Gd atoms (in which the amount of Ce substituting Y is 0.1 to 2%) is 4.15 to 4.55 and that the peak emission wavelength of the phosphor at room temperature is around the wavelength range from 530 nm (if the phosphor has an absolute specific gravity of 4.15) to 557 nm (if the phosphor has an absolute specific gravity of 4.55), i.e., the wavelength range from green to yellow/yellowish (excerpts from Phosphor Index (Nichia Kagaku Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha) and a catalog of Philips Corporation).
Now, color control of light, especially of white or whitish light, emitted by a light-emitting semiconductor device is briefly described. Conventionally, the color of light is controlled mainly by the following three methods.
(1) A method for obtaining a desired color of light by changing the output ratio between blue light emitted by a blue LED and yellow/yellowish light emitted by a YAG-based phosphor
(2) A method for obtaining a desired color of light by changing the color tone of blue light emitted by the blue LED
(3) A method for obtaining a desired color of light by changing the composition of the phosphor or the amount of addition of Ce3+ luminescent center and changing the color tone of yellow/yellowish light emitted by the YAG-based phosphor
Almost all the known light-emitting semiconductor devices utilizing blue LEDs and phosphors in combination as described above so as to obtain color-mixed light of the emissions from the blue LEDs and the phosphors uses YAG-based phosphors as phosphors.
In the patent and laid-open publications described above, described are: a light-emitting semiconductor having a structure in which a blue LED is mounted in a cup provided in a mount lead and is electrically connected thereto and in which a resin luminescent layer including a YAG-based phosphor is provided in the cup; a light-emitting semiconductor device having a structure in which a blue LED is placed in a casing and a resin luminescent layer including a YAG-based phosphor is provided in the casing; a light-emitting semiconductor device having a structure in which a flip-chip-type blue LED is mounted on a submount element and is electrically connected thereto and in which the flip-chip-type blue LED is molded with a resin package also serving as a luminescent layer including a YAG-based phosphor; and like devices.
Such light-emitting semiconductor devices are known as light-emitting semiconductor devices which are capable of obtaining white light and therefore are in high demand for light-emitting systems such as illumination systems or display systems.
On the other hand, some of the light-emitting semiconductor devices utilizing inorganic compounds other than YAG-based phosphors and LEDs in combination are previously known. For example, in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-143869, described is a light-emitting semiconductor device using a silicate phosphor such as a Ba2SiO4:Eu2+ phosphor, a Sr2SiO4:Eu2+ phosphor, a Mg2SiO4:Eu2+ phosphor, a (BaSr)2SiO4:Eu2+ phosphor, or a (BaMg)2SiO4:Eu2+ phosphor.
In addition, in the same Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-143869, the wavelength range of light emitted by an LED is preferably 430 nm or less, and more preferably in the range of 400 nm to 430 nm. In an embodiment of this publication, a light-emitting semiconductor device using an LED that emits light in the wavelength range of 343 to 405 nm is described. Further, the publication describes applications of the silicate phosphors as green phosphors and also describes that it is more preferable to use an organic LED than to use an inorganic LED made of an inorganic compound in terms of luminous efficacy.
That is to say, the invention disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-143869 relates to a light-emitting semiconductor device utilizing an LED emitting near-ultraviolet light and a phosphor of an inorganic compound emitting red, green or blue light in combination.
Now, a silicate phosphor is described. A silicate phosphor expressed by the chemical formula (Sr1-a3-b3-xBaa3Cab3Eux)2SiO4 (where a3, b3 and x are in the ranges 0≦a3≦1, 0≦b3≦1 and 0<x<1, respectively) is known to date. The silicate phosphor, which was studied as a phosphor for use in a fluorescent lamp, is known as a phosphor that emits light whose peak wavelength varies in the range from 505 nm to 598 nm, both inclusive, by changing the composition of Ba—Sr—Ca. In addition, the silicate phosphor is disclosed as a phosphor exhibiting relatively highly efficient emission of light when irradiated with light within the range of 170 to 350 nm in a literature (J. Electrochemical Soc. Vol. 115, No. 11(1968) pp. 1181-1184) and a literature (Fluorescent Lamp Phosphors, Kith H. Butler, The Pennsylvania State University Press (1980) pp. 270-279), for example.
However, in the literatures about the silicate phosphor, it is not described at all that the silicate phosphor exhibits highly efficient emission of light even in a wavelength range more than 350 nm, especially in the blue wavelength range greater than 430 nm and less than or equal to 500 nm. Thus, it is not previously known that the silicate phosphor can function as a phosphor that emits light in the yellow-green to orange wavelength range from 550 nm to 600 nm, both inclusive, especially yellow light, as a YAG-based phosphor, when excited by blue light in the blue wavelength range described above, especially blue light with high color purity around the wavelength range of 450 to 470 nm.
Hereinafter, the light-emitting semiconductor devices utilizing blue LEDs and YAG-based phosphors in combination will be described again. In Japanese Patent No. 2927279, Japanese Laid-Open Publications Nos. 10-163535, 2000-208822 and 2000-244021 mentioned above, for example, the thickness of a luminescent layer in a light-emitting semiconductor device and a fabrication method of the device are disclosed.
For example, in Japanese Patent No. 2927279 and other publications filed by the same applicant, a technique (pouring technique) for pouring an epoxy resin which is used as a base material for a luminescent layer and includes a YAG-based phosphor mixed and dispersed therein into a cup provided in a mount lead on which an LED chip is mounted, or into a space of a resin casing and for curing the epoxy resin is used to form a coating containing the YAG-based phosphor on the LED chip. In these publications, the thickness of the coating containing the YAG-based phosphor is set in the range of 100 to 400 μm.
In Japanese Laid-Open publication No. 2000-208822 and other publications filed by the same applicant, disclosed is a technique for applying a phosphor paste made by mixing and dispersing a YAG-based phosphor in an epoxy region to the surrounding other than a mounting surface for an LED chip and for curing the paste so that a luminescent layer is formed as a package for covering an LED. In these publications, the thickness of a package containing the YAG-based phosphor, i.e., a luminescent layer, is set in the range of 20 to 110 μm. In this case, a photolithography process, a screen-printing process or a transfer process is used as a method for applying the phosphor paste to the surrounding other than the mounting surface for the LED chip.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of a chip-type light-emitting semiconductor device fabricated by a known pouring technique. As shown in FIG. 7, the known light-emitting semiconductor device includes a casing 8; a blue LED 1 placed in the casing 8; a YAG-based luminescent layer 3 surrounding the blue LED 1 in the casing 8 and made of a mixture of yellow/yellowish phosphor particles and a resin; and an upper coating 10 covering the YAG-based luminescent layer 3 in the casing 8.
FIG. 9 is a SEM micrograph showing a cross-sectional structure of the coating 10 of the light-emitting semiconductor device in the state shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 10 is a SEM micrograph showing a magnified view of a portion near the casing 8. From an experiment done by the present inventors, if a luminescent layer is formed by the pouring technique described above, the coating is divided substantially into the luminescent layer 3 containing a high concentration of the YAG-based phosphor and the upper coating layer 10 hardly containing the YAG-based phosphor as shown in the SEM micrographs of FIGS. 7, 9 and 10 during the formation of the coating. This is mainly because of the difference in specific gravity between the YAG-based phosphor and the resin, which causes YAG-based phosphor particles 9 to sediment in the bottom of the coating by gravity. That is to say, the resultant substantial luminescent layer 3 does not have a structure in which the YAG-based phosphor particles 9 are scattered throughout the epoxy resin (base material) but has a structure in which the YAG-based phosphor particles 9 are in contact with each other and unevenly distributed in the base material, i.e., sedimented in the bottom of the coating. In this case, the state of being scattered is a state in which the phosphor particles are evenly dispersed throughout the luminescent layer. The substantial thickness of the luminescent layer 3 is smaller than that of the upper coating 10 and is 10 to 70 μm.
With respect to the distribution of the YAG-based phosphor particles in the coating, there appeared “various distributions of the photoluminescence phosphor can be achieved by controlling, for example, the material which contains the photoluminescence phosphor, forming temperature, viscosity, the configuration and particle distribution of the photoluminescence phosphor . . . .” in Domestic Re-Publication of PCT Application No. WO98/05078. The possibility of formation of a luminescent layer having a structure in which YAG-based phosphor particles are evenly scattered in a base material is also suggested. However, an additional examination done by the present inventors proved that such a structure cannot be formed in reality by the pouring technique described above using a YAG-based phosphor and the disclosed resin (e.g., epoxy resin, urea resin or silicon). For confirmation, we obtained a light-emitting device already introduced commercially by the applicant of Japanese Patent No. 2927279 and estimated the cross-sectional structure of the luminescent layer, to find that the phosphor does not have a structure in which YAG-based phosphor particles are evenly scatted throughout a base material but has a structure of the luminescent layer as shown in FIG. 9, specifically a structure in which the YAG-based phosphor particles are in contact with each other and unevenly distributed in the base material so that the luminescent layer is formed sedimenting in the bottom of the coating. The substantial thickness of the luminescent layer is about 70 μm as shown in the SEM micrograph of FIG. 9.
In the method for applying a luminescent layer with a photolithography or transfer process and forming a luminescent layer as a package, the YAG-based phosphor particles also sediment in the bottom of the coating by gravity during the formation of the luminescent layer. Accordingly, the resultant substantial luminescent layer is not in the state in which the YAG-based phosphor particles are scattered throughout the base material, resulting in causing uneven distribution of phosphor particles in the package. If a luminescent layer as a package is formed using a screen publishing process, the YAG-based phosphor particles less sediment and come close to the state in which the YAG-based phosphor particles are scattered throughout the base material, but distribution unevenness of the phosphor particles is still observed. In addition, the resultant luminescent layer exhibits a low luminescence performance.
As described above, in the known light-emitting semiconductor devices, YAG-based phosphor particles are in contact with each other in a luminescent layer and unevenly distributed in a base material in most cases so that distribution unevenness of the phosphor particles is tend to be observed in the luminescent layer. In summary, with respect to the luminescent layers of the known light-emitting semiconductor devices, the phosphors used are YAG-based phosphors having a substantial thickness of 10 to 70 μm, especially 10 to 30 μm in most cases. The luminescent layers are each formed by curing a mixture in which a YAG-based phosphor is mixed and dispersed in a resin used as a base material (phosphor paste).
Now, a relationship between the structure of the luminescent layer of the light-emitting semiconductor device and the color unevenness, and a known method for suppressing the color unevenness are described.
In a light-emitting semiconductor device using a blue LED and a phosphor in combination, color unevenness in emission of light has been a problem and various measurements have taken to suppress the color unevenness. Most of the measurements are based on fabricating know-how such as the configuration and particle size of YAG-based phosphor particles, optimization of particle distribution, selection of a base material for including a phosphor, adjustment of viscosity of a phosphor paste and optimization of drying conditions.
Instead of the fabricating know-how, specific measurements for radically improving the structure of, for example, the luminescent layer have been proposed. For example, in Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 11-31845, described is a method using a technique of applying an epoxy resin onto an LED chip as an adhesive, attaching YAG-based phosphor particles on the adhesive and then blowing off the YAG-based phosphor particles that have been excessively attached by splaying gas so that the thickness of a YAG-based luminescent layer is made uniform and color unevenness of light emitted by a light-emitting semiconductor device is suppressed. In Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2000-208822, described is a method for forming a luminescent layer (translucent wavelength-converting layer) on the surrounding other than a mounting surface for a blue LED as a package for covering the blue LED so that the thickness of the package from the outer contour surface of the blue LED is made substantially uniform in every direction of emission and therefore the thickness of the luminescent layer is made uniform, thereby suppressing color unevenness. In Japanese Laid-Open Publication No. 2001-177158, described is a method for polishing and creating the surface of a luminescent layer such that the surface is in parallel with a main light extracting surface.